Tales of Bandle City: Cat and Mouse
by Candlestic
Summary: The Kinkou: a legendary clan duty-bound to protect the balance of the world. However, one nation has set a large scheme in motion and are determined not to let the fearsome ninja interfere. To ensure this they have sent danger into the very heart of the clan's home. One deadly enough that its core members may not survive long enough to worry about the threatening war. 5th in ToBC.
1. Home is Where the Heart is

**Author's Note: Hey I'm back! Sorry for how long it's been, life kind of got a hold of me. Anyway, hope you enjoy :).**

* * *

As he left the electrifying energies of the portal, the small ninja felt a sense of peace at the sight before him. Gazing out at the soaring mountains and the orderly village nestled amongst their steep yet lush sides, he felt some of the tension from their last mission bleeding out of his form, unable to fight the massive grin that was steadily growing behind his mask.

It felt good to be home.

Beside him, he heard more than saw Akali swiftly stalk off towards the training grounds to go blow off some steam. Their mission had been a success – eventually. But it had been a couple of long and trying months to ensure that outcome and had left the trio of ninja various degrees of tired and frustrated. Even now, the teen could feel the deep-set exhaustion in his limbs and the heavy lethargy in his mind from trying to remain focused and sane throughout the arduous mission.

"Kennen," Shen spoke up from his other side, causing the yordle to look up at the blue-clad ninja. "I am going to report our mission to the council. I'm assuming you will be finding Haybai and Nemr for company."

The purple ninja nodded, the normally chatty teen too tired to say much. Both ninja knew he needed the interaction with his kind to recuperate fully.

"Once you are done there, go meditate. Your technique is still not strong enough to withstand long-term missions."

The yordle's ears fell as he gave a sigh, "I know." Then, before his stoic companion could say anything more, he raced off to find his fellow yordles.

Shen let out a soft sigh, the weight of worry over both his younger companion and the findings of the mission settling heavily on his mind, before he straightened and headed towards the temple.

Neither ninja felt the eyes watching as they went their separate ways.

* * *

Racing through the streets of the Kinkou village, Kennen quickly spotted the short forms of his two friends exactly where he figured they'd be. With a cheeky grin, he bypassed through a nearby garden, plucking up a peony as he went before coming to a stop in front of the female Ionian.

"Haybai," he offered her the flower, "I tried to find a gift as beautiful as you but couldn't succeed."

The black and white yordle planted her hands on her hips. "Kennen," her voice was reprimanding but her eyes were warm, "you know Nemr and I are going out. Stop flirting with me."

The purple-clad yordle winked, "It's not flirting if it's true."

On his other side, Nemr rolled his eyes and hid his smile. All three knew that Kennen wasn't seriously hitting on the female ninja but the older two were trying (with little success) to somewhat subdue the teen's flirtatious nature.

"You are incorrigible," Haybai sighed, a black finger pushing the yordle backwards by the tip of his nose. "Do you flirt with every female yordle you meet?"

Kennen paused as he seriously considered the question, his mind sifting through all his missions. There had been that young barmaid in Zaun, the innkeeper in the quaint town of Fossbarrow, the twin miners in Kalamander, several of the students at the Yordle Academy in Piltover…

"Yep," he answered cheerily.

"Kennen," Haybai's tone of voice warned the young ninja that he was about to get another lecture. "You are the Heart of the Tempest. As an important part of the Kinkou clan you need to focus on your _duty._ That means you cannot chase after every female you meet."

The eighteen-year-old shrugged non-committedly. "I know my duty comes first. But come on, when has a couple of compliments ever hurt anyone?"

"That's not the point." The dark-haired yordle sighed, knowing she wasn't going to get anywhere further she turned to her boyfriend for help. "Tell him Nemr."

The tall yordle just shrugged. "He'll need to get some better pick-up lines before it becomes a real problem."

"Hey!" Nemr was able to easily ignore the sad puppy-dog eyes and pouting the younger yordle was doing; but it was a lot harder – not to mention dangerous – to ignore the smouldering glare his girlfriend was currently disintegrating him with. Self-preservation skills kicking in, the orange and black yordle hastily changed the subject.

"So," the normally laidback yordle grasped the first topic to come to mind. "How'd the mission go?"

Kennen grimaced, glad it couldn't be seen behind his mask. But despite his outfit concealing his expression it could not help him fully hide his sudden change in demeanour, the other two ninja easily catching the drop of his ears and the slump of his shoulders. "It was technically successful," he shrugged. "It just… didn't go the way we had planned. Things ended up being a lot… messier."

The other two yordles exchanged a concerned glance.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Nemr asked encouragingly.

The purple-clad yordle shook his head. "Not really."

Gently, Haybai placed her hands on the taller boy's shoulders as she spoke comfortingly. "Kennen-san, you do know you're allowed to talk about these things, right? The duty we uphold is important, but like all important work it does not come without its own costs. Ones not easily carried alone. As a clan, it is not only our job to help each other physically, but also emotionally. Even Shen and Akali have someone they can talk to."

"I know," Kennen pulled himself from the girl's grip as he straightened. "Trust me, I know how important maintaining the balance is. Otherwise I would not have done all the things I have. I'd just rather not think about it if I don't have to. So please, can we change the subject?"

The two older ninja exchanged another long look before Haybai conceded. "Alright." Forcing a smile she asked, "so what are you up to after this?"

Kennen grinned, "Why? Did you want to do something together?"

She shot him an unimpressed look, "You know, changing the topic was your idea. If you're not going to take it seriously we can go back to talking about your poor, emotional-handling issues."

"Oh come on," the purple ninja cajoled. "You know you'd enjoy it. Just think, the two of us strolling through the gardens – ow!"

The eighteen-year-old rubbed the back of his head where Nemr had lightly cuffed him.

"And I know you're stalling," the striped yordle cut straight to the point, expression serious. "Shen ordered you to meditate didn't he."

Haybai turned to him sharply, concern etched deep into her warm features. "You started to slip? After three months?"

Kennen felt his ears fold down in confirmation and he internally cringed at the worry that bloomed to life on his two friend's faces. This conversation just kept jumping from one bad topic to the next. Honestly, he would much rather be chewed out by Haybai over his flirting habits than talk about the task that actually frustrated him.

It wasn't liked he didn't know it was a problem. Oh no, he was very aware of how important meditation was. Despite his mastery of other similar focusing techniques (like Tai Chi), none of them could replicate the regenerative mental properties that meditation provided. A vital technique for the resident yordles, whose sanity depended on positive interactions with their kind. Even after only three months away within the company of his fellow triumvirate members, Kennen had felt his mind starting to slip towards the end, despite doing everything in his power remain in control.

It wasn't an easy feeling to describe, nor was it a very pleasant one. The straining ache that grew within his head and frayed the edges of his consciousness was not one he would ever forget. It had taken copious amounts of energy just to focus; to try and plan and rationalise rather than act instinctively. In the end that had worked in their favour. But looking back now, the young yordle could see just how easily things could have swung the other way.

Still, he reminded himself, he had only felt the onset of the disorder and only towards the very end of their long mission – nowhere near enough time had passed for it to seriously take hold. Already, in the short time he'd spent amongst his brethren, the insidious feelings had faded till it felt like nothing more than a bad dream and leaving him feeling refreshed – if a little tired.

Wanting to downplay it, he told them just that. "Only a little bit. And I'm fine now."

Unfortunately, his response did little to assure either of the older ninja.

"Kennen," Haybai started, her normal lecture tone laced with concern, "You know how dangerous that condition is. What if you hadn't been able to get back here in time? You need to gain better control over your meditation or else you won't be able to go on long missions."

"I know that," Kennen spoke defensively. "And I'm trying. But it's not my fault I can't do it."

"No one's holding your ability to meditate against you Kennen," Nemr said softly. "We all know that your energy powers make it hard for you to be still for long periods of time. The fact that you've mastered meditation to the point that you have is an amazing testament to your skills and dedication."

"But while your powers provide the Kinkou with a valuable asset," Haybai took up, "being able to maintain sanity on missions is critical. The last thing the Kinkou needs is anoth-an off the rails ninja. Every bit of mastery you can gain is invaluable. But more importantly, so is your mental well-being. Which means you _need_ to tell someone if you start to slip again – immediately."

"I know," Kennen mumbled at his toes.

Taking pity on the boy, Haybai gave the purple-clad ninja an affectionate rub on the head. "Now go meditate. After that you're more than welcome to come over to my house for dinner."

Instantly the younger yordle perked up. "Well I can't say no to spending more time in your lovely presence," he winked before rushing off, laughing as the Ionian female's reprimands chased him.

* * *

Observing the small, lone ninja down below, the figure in the shadows grinned. Looks like her patience and persistence had paid off.

It had not been an easy task getting here. Not only had it been difficult to even find the ninja clan's base of operation but then she'd had to find someone willing enough to get her past the turbulent seas and underwater reefs to the uninviting rocky shores of the secluded island. After that it had been a long, arduous trek up the steep mountainside to reach the nestled village, where she'd been forced to hide from the ever-vigilant warriors while she'd waited for her prey to return.

Then, after days of waiting, her patience had been rewarded. From her vantage point near the village entrance, she'd been absentmindedly cleaning her weapons when the portal had opened and out stepped her three targets.

One had immediately stalked off, too quickly for her to follow and leaving her to observe the remaining two as they'd conversed. As they went their separate ways the concealed female trailed the smaller of the two, unwilling to confront the other in the company of the elders unless she had to. This had worked out even better than she had expected however, as he'd eventually led her to a secluded corner garden at the edge of the village whereby he promptly stopped and sat, eyes closed and body still, in the centre of the clearing. Really it was almost _too_ easy.

Her green eyes narrowed in thought as she stared down at the furry creature. Many from her city-state considered yordles to be weak, but she knew all too well that appearances could be deceiving. This Ionian clan was known all over Runeterra for its strength and influence, so having a yordle as a core part of its force meant that he was more than capable of taking care of himself.

Still, even the strongest opponent could be overcome if they let their guard drop. It was a pity really; she'd been looking forward to the exhilaration of a worthy adversary.

She grimaced at the thought, hand touching her left eye and the scar that ran through it; a reminder that the mission always came first. And her mission this time was to ensure that the three, core ninja of this clan could not interfere with her nation's preparation. The Kinkou had been known to put an end to large operations before they'd even begun. At such a critical stage of the invasion, that could not be allowed. Therefore, her job was to eliminate that threat – by any means necessary. In her mind, there was no better guarantee than death, and with such formidable opponents she could not afford to waste this opportunity.

Still, she reminded herself as she readied her blades, with two other elite members to kill she was sure that the thrill of the deadly dance would come soon enough.

With that in mind, the hidden Noxian launched her two daggers at the unsuspecting figure in quick succession.

* * *

 **And I'm back with a cliffhanger :D. Didn't you miss me? Haha, but in all seriousness, it's good to be back. I've missed posting chapters. And I forgot how much fun it was to write Kennen. The scene between him and Haybai and Nemr has got to be one of my favourites so far.**

 **Despite my hints no one was able to guess who the new champion would be, but thanks to everyone who sent me a guess, I was really interested in your ideas.**

 **I don't know how well I'll be able to stick to my 2 week update schedule with how busy life's been atm, but I will do my best :). I also wrote a short story about Gnar for a recent Lol contest, which I might post up here at some point, so you guys shouldn't be hanging too much regardless.**

 **Love to know what you thought :).**

 **Candlestic**


	2. Mousetrap

**Author's note: so a little later than I was hoping but not too bad :). I had a lot of fun writing this chapter so I hope you all enjoy.**

* * *

He let his breathing slow, closing his eyes as he tried to still his body and his mind. He knew the feeling he was reaching for; the empty restfulness of a detached mind, keenly aware of his surroundings and yet, distant from them. He'd achieved a similar state of mind through the repetitive action of Tai Chi. However, that sort of activity was based on motion, meaning there was a limit on the amount of detachment one could reach in such states. And that was the core problem Kennen faced.

Slowly, his thoughts quietened and the calming feeling deepened as he sunk into the still abyss within his mind. But, just like every other time he thought he was getting somewhere, the building energy he was trying to suppress within his being reached bursting point and he had to move, breaking his concentration.

With a sigh, he tried once again, stilling his movements and sinking once more into the deep feeling growing within his mind, only for his instincts to scream at him to move.

Without hesitation, the yordle flung himself backwards just in time to see two knives bury themselves in the ground where he'd been sitting not even a second earlier. As he twisted in his fall, the ninja threw several shuriken in the direction the blades had come from before landing on his feet, ready for another attack.

Katarina watched as the three shuriken struck the trunk in the precise spot she'd thrown the daggers from, in mild curiousity. "Not bad," she called from the shaded foliage above before she swiftly moved as more shuriken shot towards her, "for a rodent."

"I'm a _yordle_ ," the purple ninja snarled, as he tracked her. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"Who me?" the Noxian asked innocently as she landed on a new perch.

"No, I'm talking to the other knife-wielding assassin currently trying to kill me," was the smart retort.

She laughed even as she readied her weapons. "Oh, I'm just a girl looking for some excitement. And you, my dear little mouse, looked like a good challenge." With that the red-headed assassin leapt from her spot, tossing several knives with deadly precision as she sailed through the air overhead before landing gracefully in a tree on the opposite side of the clearing.

Despite the daggers coming from different directions, Kennen skilfully dodged them, quickly weaving through the blades before retaliating with a couple shuriken of his own. With a yell of exertion, he followed these up swiftly with a bolt of electricity headed straight for the Noxian woman.

Katarina was able to dodge the shuriken with ease but did not see the lightning bolt until it was too late. Eyes going wide, she barely had time to brace before the burst sent her flying backwards.

Shoved from her perch, the assassin twisted as she freefell before just managing to grab a lower branch and swing herself up onto it. As her feet found purchase on her new vantage point, she couldn't help the laughter that bubbled and out of her.

In the clearing, Kennen tensed. "Oh joy, she's laughing. Cause that's never a bad sign," he muttered sarcastically.

Eyes gleaming in excitement as the thrill of the fight filled her, the red-head grinned down at her foe as she practically purred, "Finally, a good challenge. Show me what you've got little mouse."

* * *

Haybai had just finished helping her Lao Lao with the cooking when she turned to look out the kitchen window, her expression clouding.

Nemr, who had been helping the Ionian's parents set the table, gave her a questioning look before realising where her gaze was directed: out towards the direction of the meditation gardens. With a quiet sigh, he strolled over to join her. "He'll be alright."

Haybai jumped, before turning with a guilty expression. "I know. It's just, he's so reckless, even after all these years. Always so eager to do something that he'll jump in without thinking. Nemr, he started to slip and didn't even say anything about it. I just worry one day, he'll jump headfirst into something he can't handle."

Nemr's voice hardened as he spoke. "Haybai, he is the Heart of the Tempest. He earned that position and you know he is smart enough and strong enough to handle all that goes with it. Yes, he is impulsive but he's also quick-thinking and he's not alone. Shen and Akali are there to help guide him and he knows when to turn to them for help. Now you must trust him to do his job."

The black and white female sighed. "I know. I know. I just… can't shake this feeling that something bad will happen."

Nemr snorted. "You will. Just wait till he gets here and starts flirting and joking like his usual self, then you'll feel better."

"You're right," her shoulders dropped slightly. "Thank you Nemr."

* * *

Kennen barely had time to react as the Noxian assassin moved. Jumping from branch to branch, Katarina sent a flurry of knives at the yordle.

Utilising all his speed and dexterity, the purple ninja was able to dodge most of the attacks, only one scraping past his cheek while another grazed his shoulder as he navigated his way through the nigh impenetrable wall of blades. But while he was just able to deflect the blades from his more vital areas, he had very little ability to retaliate, the couple of shuriken he'd managed to fire back barely impeding the steady flow of projectiles headed his way. He needed to level the playing field – literally.

Tracking the red-head's movement overhead, Kennen suddenly put on a burst of speed, allowing his excess momentum to take him through the danger zone and up into the trees. Zipping up on the surprised assassin and into close combat range, the ninja threw a fast punch at her, shuriken clutched between his fingers.

Instinctively, Katarina leant backwards, the shuriken slicing through her bangs as she barely managed to dodge the fast-moving punch. Swinging back upright, she blocked his next swing with an arm before throwing her own jab at his face.

Kennen wove between her punch and the following kick before continuing to press his advantage, however small it may be. Ducking in close to her, the small ninja sent a series of rapid punches into her abdomen, knocking the assassin backwards. However, he did not expect her to twist with the fall into a high spin-kick. The unexpected assault catching him in the side and sending him sailing off their perch.

As he fell, the yordle sent an arc of lightning hurtling upwards, shattering the branch she was standing on before he hit the ground. Swiftly Kennen rolled back upright, throwing several shuriken ahead of him as he rushed the Noxian.

Katarina landed lightly on her feet, before quickly back-flipping away from the assault, loosening a couple of her own blades as she did, in retaliation. The small ninja dodged them easily but she hadn't been aiming to hit, instead utilising the delay to reposition herself further away.

The two adversaries paused for a split second before launching themselves back into the fight.

It seemed they were evenly matched – for now. However, as the exhaustion from his previous mission started to set in, Kennen was keenly aware it wouldn't last. The longer this went on, a bigger advantage would go to the Noxian woman. Already he was struggling to match her, sporting several cuts to her one. He couldn't afford to lag further, it could very well cost him his life.

 _Come on,_ he thought, _where are the others?_ He knew this garden was in a secluded corner of the village but surely someone had noticed the commotion by now.

The moment's distraction was all it took. Faster than he could have anticipated, Katarina struck. Kennen barely managed to block the incoming thrust before her subsequent kick sent him flying back into a nearby tree. The impact knocking the wind out of him and stalling the ninja just long enough for the following blade to connect.

A cry of pain tore from his throat as the blade pierced cleanly through his shoulder and deep into the wood behind, anchoring him in place.

* * *

Akali rhythmically attacked the dummy before her, the soothing motions keeping her distracted enough to sort through the thoughts in her head.

Jab. Knee. Jab. Uppercut. Side kick.

The mission shouldn't have gone so awry. They'd known their target. They'd known his routine, his habits, his colleagues. They'd known exactly what to do to eliminate him.

Jab. Spin. Front Kick. Drop. Spin. Jab. Jab. Hook.

But they hadn't anticipated the extra security. Not just around their target but in the whole of Zaun. All the Chem-Barons had increased their defences. Hiding their products but not the fact that they were there. It had been concerning, on more than one level. And it had made staying out of notice much harder.

Snap kick. Jab. Cross. Jab. Roundhouse. Backfist.

And really, that had been the major problem. The subtle but high alert of their target's Chem-thugs had prolonged and disrupted the three ninja's plan. Leaving them playing the waiting game as they'd scoured for a good opportunity. But even their patience had started to wear thin when, after three months of inaction, their youngest member's mental health had started to slip.

Hook. Snap kick. Roundhouse. Uppercut.

It had left them with a risky course of action. One that had ultimately worked, but with a much, much higher casualty rate than any of them had wanted. And on top of all that, with very little information about the recent going-ons in Zaun. But after their mission success and with their cover blown, they hadn't had the time to stick around and find out more.

Knee. Front kick. Jab. Cross. Hook. Roundhouse.

Akali paused as the head went flying off the dummy, leaving the remaining structure to wilt as the sand inside cascaded down onto the floor. With conscious effort, she slowed her breathing, counting as she continued to inhale and exhale to try and contain the simmering anger burning away in the centre of her being. An anger that had been there ever since _he_ left.

The green-clad ninja immediately stopped her thoughts from heading in that direction, focusing once more on her breathing. But even as her anger dwindled she could not shake the worry over her teammate and over what they had seen. A worry she knew the other two ninja both shared, along with a guilt the smallest of them carried.

The deadly woman sighed as she picked up the broken head. Perhaps she should check up on her two teammates.

* * *

Pain flared through his shoulder as the blade was driven precisely between the bones, slicing cleanly through the muscles and into the bark behind with ease. His left arm hung limply by his side, any slight movement shooting agony up the limb and rendering it completely useless. The yordle grit his teeth as another wave of pain washed over him before he slowly reached for the blade.

Before he could pull free, however, Katarina followed up with a flurry of knives, effectively pinning him in place. Agony once more screamed through his body as a blade skewed his ear, while another was driven deep through his right forearm; it and the knife pinning the sleeve of his weakened arm effectively stopping him from pulling free. Another two blades restraining his legs was all it took to stop him squirming away from the killing blow.

Kennen felt a freezing wave of fear seize him, cutting through the burning pain for an instant of searing clarity. If he didn't do something right now, he was going to die. So, in a last-ditch effort to save himself he gathered up his remaining energy.

He drew on the seemingly bottomless power dwelling in the core of his being. Pulling the electrical energy up to the surface and holding the tingling, pulsing power there until he couldn't bear to draw up any more. Then, with a desperate and agonised cry, he released all the energy at once.

Katarina's eyes widened at the massive wave of electricity racing out and away from the trapped yordle, knowing that it would be all over unless she got out of the way in time.

Immediately, she activated the Zaunite device attached to her wrist. It was a relatively new addition, one she hadn't quite gotten accustomed to using in battle, but now she had little choice.

She jumped forward, space warping around her as she teleported, just as the lightning surge tore past the spot she'd once been before dissipating.

As suddenly as she'd disappeared, she reappeared next to the caught ninja, knife in hand.

"Good move," she complimented with a satisfied smile. "But not good enough. Looks like the game's up little mouse, and I win."

* * *

Shen left the council's chambers in a sombre mood. The elders had agreed with their findings in Zaun and had decided to send some ninja to investigate. But Shen had never been worried about the meeting's outcome – given the evidence, it had been the most logical course of action to take. No, what worried him was if the implications of what they'd found were correct. And what that would mean for Ionia.

The blue-clad ninja walked through the temple halls in deep thought, but not so deep that he didn't notice the large man approaching him.

"Hello Bear," Shen greeted the hulking, black man.

The giant flashed him an easy grin, but his blue eyes remained serious. "Friend," he clasped Shen's arm in a friendly gesture, "you look troubled."

Considering the mask that concealed Shen's face and the years of training he'd endured to limit his true feelings from showing in his posture, such a statement would have seemed strange coming from anyone else. But Bear was not anyone else. Shen knew the strange Ionian could see through any deception.

"Yes," he answered. "Some of the things we found on our last mission were… troubling."

Bear gestured for him to continue as the two ninja continued walking.

"While we were in Zaun, there were signs of increased industry, particularly defence enhancements and weapons manufacturing. The hints were subtle to see, but they were there none the less. There were also a lot more Noxians around than usual."

"An invasion?" The blacksmith queried.

"So it would seem," Shen confirmed.

"But that makes no sense," Bear mused. "True, Noxus has a well-known history of combat and conquest, but since the truce amongst the major city-states and the forming of the Institute of War, they've been unable to expand their borders. Why go against that now and risk the League intervening?"

"Because they wouldn't be," Shen explained. "The League will only intervene if Noxus invades another protected city-state, but they have no jurisdiction over unallied nations. And Ionia refuses to join the League based on a difference of principles, leaving Noxus free to invade without consequence."

The large man was silent for a while, before he responded quietly, "I can see why you're concerned. If such a thing were to happen, it would not only affect the balance directly, but also affect the Kinkou's ability to act without major resistance."

"I know," the blue-clad ninja nodded. "That is why the council-" he cut off when Bear suddenly stopped, body tense as his gaze snapped in the direction of the village.

"What is it?" the Eye of Twilight asked, as his hand automatically reaching for his swords.

The giant's piercing, blue eyes widened as he gasped, "The Heart is in danger! You must go now!"

Shen's stomach dropped even as he turned and raced towards the gardens.

* * *

 **Well, that escalated quickly. Hope you enjoyed it (and that you won't kill me). I'll try to have the next chapter up on time.**


	3. Calm Before the Storm

**Author's note: I'm sorry the chapter's late again. I'm still trying to work out my writing schedule around my job. That and this chapter and the next one have been fighting me a bit. Hope you enjoy it :)!**

* * *

Akali had just left the training room when Shen sprinted past her, startling the female ninja. Her shock only lasted a moment however, before she took off after him, knowing that anything that had her normally stoic teammate moving so rapidly must be important. She didn't bother asking him where they were going so quickly, if he'd had the time he would have told her and she trusted her teammate's discretion. The blue-clad ninja, for his part, was grateful for the support; he knew that if it was as bad as Bear's reaction had led him to believe, he was going to need it. That is, _if_ they even got there in time.

Together the two ninja raced through the Kinkou village, drawing steadily closer to the outer meditation gardens. As they drew near, both ninja could feel the shift in the atmosphere as the very air around them grew charged with static electricity. The excess energy crackled around their forms as they sped up; they knew it must be a very formidable foe indeed for their missing teammate to release this much electricity. They could not afford to waste a second.

Finally, the meditation gardens came into sight and the two ninja put on a final burst of speed, charging into the clearing only to stall in shock at the sight before them. Across the glade, their third member hung, anchored to a strong cedar by several knives, while before him crouched a lithe female, dagger in hand as she readied for the killing blow.

With a furious cry, Akali threw her Kama, the large weapon spinning end over end as it flew straight towards the assassin. Katarina vaulted away from her pinned target, allowing the Kama to embed itself in the tree behind her before she was forced to duck as the other one sailed through the air where her head had been.

The irate ninja pressed forward, attacking with such ferocity that even with one weapon she was able to force her foe to duck and weave just to stay in one piece. As the green woman kept the Noxian's attention on her, Shen ran to where Kennen was pinned.

However, the smaller ninja just shook his head. "I'll be fine for now. Go help Akali, she won't be able to stop her on her own."

As if in proof, Katarina launched a counter-attack, diving through a hole in the Fist of Shadow's defences to slash at her stomach. The green ninja just managed to twist in time so that the blade only left a thin gash along her side before, with a short cry, she fell back. However, it was enough for Shen to heed Kennen's advice, turning to join the fight.

Suddenly, Katarina found herself on the defensive, as she ducked under the blue-ninja's swing before hastily dodging Akali's following swipe. She twisted to leap to the side, only to find the Eye of Twilight's blade cleaving down and forcing her to back up. Working in tandem, the two ninja pressed on, driving the assassin back and away from their downed member and cornering her up against the trees.

As Akali lunged at her, Katarina flipped backwards before hand-springing up to a low hanging branch, finally putting enough distance between her and her foes for a breather. Now out of range, she grinned down at them.

"Two against one, that's not very fair."

With Shen covering her, Akali leapt towards the tree, knocking the branch the red-haired assassin was sitting on. "Because you Noxian's are all about fairness," she sneered.

Utilising the branch's momentum, Katarina jumped, sailing effortlessly over their heads and landing in the centre of the clearing. "Maybe not," she agreed. "But that doesn't mean I can't see when the odds are against me. Until next time."

With a departing wink, the assassin suddenly spun on the spot, knives flying away from her in every direction in an excessive storm of blades.

Eyes widening, Akali spun her remaining Kama to block the hail of knives heading towards her, even as Shen leapt across the clearing to protect their still pinned member from the sudden attack. A flash of fear struck Kennen at the sight of the blades flying out from the deadly assassin, knowing he was unable to dodge. Instinctively, his eyes shut, even as the blue ninja reached him, shielding him from harm.

Finally, the unceasing rain of daggers ended, allowing the ninja to lower their weapons to find the blade-strewn glade conspicuously absent of an assassin. Akali let out a curse, leaping up into the trees in a futile attempt to track the errant Noxian. Across the clearing, Shen let out a small sigh before turning to help Kennen down.

As soon as he was free, the yordle grasped his hurt shoulder with a hiss of pain, cradling the limp arm in an attempt to shield it from further damage.

The blue ninja watched him carefully, relieved to see that the shoulder seemed to the worst injury their small teammate had sustained before he quickly caught the unsteady teen before he fell over. It seemed that the injury to the ear had distorted the young ninja's balance temporarily.

"I'm alright," Kennen automatically responded, trying to regain his balance but Shen did not release his steady hold.

"No, you're not," he spoke calmly, before decisively scooping the smaller ninja up. "We need to get you to the infirmary."

For once, Kennen didn't contest the treatment, too busy trying to stop the world spinning as they made their way back to the temple.

* * *

Shen was watching the medic fuss over the Heart of the Tempest's wounds from an unobstructive position across the room.

The seal-like creature frowned as they healed the yordle's arm while the young ninja continued to fidget under the vastayan's stern attention.

"So…" Kennen finally asked. "How bad is it?"

The furry, medic's frown deepened, glancing quickly across at Shen before they replied, "Most of the wounds are superficial. But a couple of them were very close to being permanent. The blade through your lower arm just missed your carpel tunnel and your main tendons. Thankfully however, it didn't hit anything too delicate and I was able to fix most of the damage along with the injury to your ear. You may still have some problems with balance and strength until they completely heal though, so don't over use them."

"What about his shoulder?" the blue-ninja queried.

The vayastan sighed. "The shoulder is a lot more serious." Turning their attention to the injury in question, they continued, "Whoever threw that knife has impeccable aim. The blade cut cleanly between the glenoid cavity and the humeral bone, meaning it still had enough momentum to continue travelling into the tree and dislocating the shoulder to boot. Add on top of that, the blade slicing through the deltoid muscle, limiting almost all movement in the arm and you have yourself one very effective way of taking out an opponent's dexterity and strength almost permanently in one shot. You're extremely lucky that the blade didn't manage to completely severe all of the tendons otherwise even with my medical knowledge and healing magic it would have been beyond me. As it is, even with my skills it'll take a while to heal fully. Which means you're going to have to put up with it being strapped for a few days so that I can heal it properly."

The medic turned their stern glare fully onto the yordle as he let out a mournful sigh, cuffing him over the good ear as they went to find a sling. As the doctor started strapping the shoulder in a light but sturdy sling (extensively lecturing the energetic ninja on all the things he should and shouldn't do while healing), Shen's attention turned to the door as Akali arrived.

The green ninja didn't say anything as she entered, but her eyes automatically sort out their youngest teammate. Finding him putout but ultimately alright, the tightness in her shoulders eased just slightly before she joined the Eye of Twilight by the wall.

"Is he alright?" she asked quietly.

Shen gave her a short nod. "A couple of near misses, but nothing that won't fully heal with time." As she let out a relieved sigh he turned to regard her fully. "Did you find anything?"

The green ninja made a disgruntled sound. "No. Whoever she is she's good. Aside from her battle with Kennen, there was barely a trace of her presence here."

Shen's eyes narrowed, "We need to find out why she's here. Could you go back to the clearing and see what you can find? Anything that might tell us about where she's from and what her purpose here is."

"You want proof," Akali summarized as she turned her attention from the duo across the room to her other teammate.

"Yes," he answered simply. "If I'm right. We'll need all the proof we can get."

She nodded, before pushing herself off the wall, "I'll see what I can find. Let me know what happens here." Without waiting for an answer, the deadly woman departed, leaving Shen alone.

His mood sombred as his thoughts turned back to the events of the day. He was not worried about their youngest member's injuries (now that he knew they weren't permanent). All three ninja had sustained much worse before. However, the fact that they were caused by such a dangerous opponent in their own village, was very concerning.

Finally, the medic finished, telling the yordle to rest, before leaving the two higher-class ninja alone.

Shen was still deep in thought when Kennen turned his curious gaze to him.

"That woman," the yordle's serious voice pulled the blue-clad ninja's attention, "she was a Noxian."

"I know," Shen nodded.

"Do you think she has anything to do with what we found in Zaun?"

The older ninja was silent for a moment before he answered honestly, "I'm not sure."

"But you have some ideas," the smaller ninja pressed.

Shen felt the corner of his mouth twitch. As astute as ever. "Yes."

Silence reigned for a few seconds before the eighteen-year-old impatiently asked. "Well come on. What are they? Tell me!" His excited bouncing came to an abrupt stop with a hiss of pain as he jostled his injured shoulder.

Shen shook his head as he stood. "You should rest. We'll discuss this more in the morning as a team."

Holding back a cringe (which was a lot harder with his mask removed), Kennen persisted. "I'm ok. I don't need to rest yet."

"Kennen," the blue-clad ninja spoke resolutely, "even if I am correct, we cannot act without proof. Which means the best thing for you to do is heal, so that we may be ready when the time is right. So rest."

"Fine."

Leaving the young ninja to pout, Shen got up to go meet their other teammate.

* * *

Akali returned home from her search extremely frustrated after the green ninja had arrived in the clearing to find almost every trace of the fight had been erased. It seemed that not only had the Noxian assassin managed to pull off a brutally effective (and almost deadly) surprise attack within the confines of their very own village, but she had once more proven to be one step ahead of them.

A quick glance over was all the ninja needed to see that every dagger and knife had disappeared, leaving behind a couple of blade marked trees and two broken branches as all the proof she'd even been there. Still, the Kinkou were nothing if not persistent. However, after scouring the garden without finding any looked over clue, Akali had decided to called it quits, heading back to her modest home to prepare for the night and to wait for the Eye of Twilight to inevitably to show up.

The green-clad ninja had just returned from a bath, the tension from the day finally worked out of her body and her long hair tied back in a plait, when she felt a presence behind her.

She turned, expecting to find her blue-clad teammate, only to stop in surprise at the red-haired woman casually leaning up against the wall.

"Evening," the Noxian smirked.

* * *

 **So, anyone tired of the cliff-hangers yet :P.**

 **Haha, I have to say, I actually did enjoy writing this chapter (even if it was a bit of a pain), especially the medical stuff. Now, I should probably warn: I'm not in the medical profession so I don't know if this is completely accurate - there's only so much you can look up in google (yeah, I might have a bit of a weird search history after this past week :P) - but that said, I did look up what I could and come up with a plausible explanation from there. Also magic comes in very handy as an instant solution to anything too serious/out there :).**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think. Next chapter should be up in the next 2/3 weeks.**


	4. Death Lotus

**Author's note: I'm actually pretty excited about this chapter, but I almost didn't get it up on time. Despite how much I've been enjoying writing action scenes they are pretty exhausting and time consuming to write. Plus work's been pretty busy. But I got it up on time! Hope you enjoy it :).**

* * *

Immediately Akali lunged for where her twin kama lay beside her futon, only to draw up short as a knife cut through her path.

"Now, is that any way to treat a visitor?" Katarina asked lightly, another blade bouncing ostensibly in her hand.

The dark-haired woman widened her stance but stayed in place; her eyes fixed on the Noxian even as a hand slid to her belt. She may not have her main weapons but she was far from defenceless.

"It is when they try to kill my teammate."

"Oh that," the Noxian shrugged. "It was nothing personal. You ninja of all people should understand that."

"Then why did you do it?" Akali knew she was risking a surprise attack the longer she stalled, but any information learned could be invaluable.

However, the assassin just smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know."

As fast as a striking snake, she attacked, launching several knives at the ninja, but Akali was ready this time. The Fist of Shadow ducked the blades, throwing down a smoke bomb as she did and instantly clouding the room. Utilising this darkness was second nature to her, so the green ninja wasted no time racing towards the assassin, dodging the stray blades as the Noxian tried to hit the silent ninja. Her fist collided with Katarina's jaw, sending her reeling.

However, even with her head spinning from the blow, the Noxian reacted quickly. Grabbing the extended fist as she fell, the red-head used the leverage to swing in towards where she now knew the ninja's torso would be, dagger in hand.

Akali twisted with the movement and the strike sailed past the female ninja before a knee to the solar plex knocked her backwards. Winded, but not down, Akali rolled away, finally picking up her weapons as Katarina shook the last of the ringing from her ears. Both were breathing heavily as the smoke cleared.

Katarina grinned, "Giving it your all now huh? And here I was thinking I wouldn't get a challenge."

Without a word, Akali leapt for her, swinging her kama to back the assassin up into the wall. Katarina was forced to flip up onto a small shelf to evade the strike before she sprang off the wall and over to the other side of the room.

The fight continued with neither really gaining an advantage. Akali couldn't fully utilise her weapons in the small space, but they did provide her with enough range to easily reach the assassin from anywhere in the room. Katarina, however, was nothing if not dextrous, evading the ninja's long reach with flashy acrobatics. It was tiring sure, but the few injuries she'd managed to inflict past the inhibited ninja's defences more than evened that out.

Akali seemed to have realised this too. Discarding one of her kama, the green ninja reached for the spare kunai in her belt before rapidly throwing them at the Noxian.

Taken by surprise, Katarina couldn't dodge the first one in time; the blade carving a shallow laceration across her upper arm as it flew past. She didn't have time to care, however, as the rest of the kunai came at her in rapid succession. The red-head was so focused on evading the blades that she didn't see Akali lunge for her until the ninja was almost on top of her. Katarina stalled as she watched the kama approach her chest, until, at the very last second, she ducked the deadly blade.

Akali, not expecting the sudden disappearance, could not stop her momentum as the assassin slid underneath her, nor could she dodge as one of the Noxian's daggers sliced through her calf as she went by. The ninja cried out in pain, but she continued to move, turning to block the assassin as she came to her feet behind the Ionian. However, the injury made her movements too slow and Akali was unable to defend against the successive kick.

The blow sent her tumbling backwards (her weapon clattering out of her hand) before she came to rather abrupt stop against the wall. Katarina was upon her before the green-clad woman could even move, driving a knee into her chest to keep her down as she raised her dagger to strike.

Before she could bring the blade down however, she was forced to roll back and away from the downed ninja in order to avoid the sword heading directly for her neck. The Noxian sprung back to her feet on the other side of the room, turning to find Shen standing defensively in front of his comrade.

"Well, aren't you just a regular knight in shining armour," the red-haired assassin sneered.

"It's my job to know where I need to be," was his simple response, as Akali forced herself back to her feet.

"Ah, so you're a purposeful kill-joy. Good to know."

With a snarl Akali sprung for the Noxian, but Katarina simply dodged to the side. As the enraged ninja backed her into a corner, she glanced around to find Shen standing poised behind Akali, ready to attack should she try and leap to a better position or gain the upper-hand against the green-clad woman.

Conceding that this was not a battle she could win, the assassin readied her shunpo device. "Well, this has been fun," she grinned, before activating it and teleporting to the unblocked doorway. "But I think I'll try my luck elsewhere. Later."

Before either could react, she was gone.

With a growl of displeasure, as much as pain, Akali hobbled over to her med kit, before sinking down to wrap the large gash in her calf.

As she did, Shen scanned the scenery to try and find where the assassin had disappeared to. When he was unable to spot her, however, he turned back to his teammate, knowing that if she'd evaded Akali, she would elude him too.

With a sigh, he helped the fuming ninja to her feet. "Are you alright?"

"No," she snarled. "And I won't be alright until we stop that damn assassin. Or at the very least find out why she's here." The green ninja's knuckles whitened from how tightly her fists were clenched as she paced back and forth around the room.

"You didn't find anything else then?" Shen asked resigned, though he could already see the answer.

She shook her head, mouth pressed in a thin line. "She's been very careful to cover her tracks. When she attacked me, I did manage to glean that she's not doing it for fun – despite how much pleasure she seems to get from fighting. But that was all I was able to learn. Not who her targets were, nor who she's working for or how she got here. Nothing."

"Well, that's something at least. But still not enough." The blue-clad ninja was silent as he mulled the information over before speaking once more. "Tell me about her fighting style."

Akali did not stop her pacing as she begun analysing the fight. "Her main weapons are blades, particularly throwing knives and daggers, so she's most dangerous at a distance. However, she's also proficient in hand to hand combat so boxing her in close won't necessarily work either. She's fast, dexterous and able to adapt to situations and changes in technique quickly. Her biggest strength is her unpredictability. Most of the times she got a good hit on me when I wasn't expecting it. In part, that's because she's smart enough and good enough to keep some of her abilities hidden until she needs then. She's-" and this pained her to say it, "probably a better fighter than me."

Shen nodded. "But not good enough to take us on as a team. The more eyes there are on her the harder it is for her to manoeuvre and strike unexpectedly. And she knows it."

"Perhaps, but that doesn't help us _stop_ her. It's obvious she's here to kill the three of us, but if we can't beat her one on one, what are we going to do? We can't confront her as a group because she runs as soon as that happens. She's only drawn out when one of us is alone," Akali ranted.

It took a second for what she said to sink in but once it did both of them froze.

 _I think I'll try my luck elsewhere,_ the assassin's last words floated between them as they turned to face each other, eyes wide at the realisation.

"Kennen!"

As one, the two ninja turned and raced towards the temple, hoping they were wrong.

* * *

Kennen hated being injured. It might seem ironic considering in his line of work – and with his impulsive nature – more cases than not ended with him hurt in some way. But that did not stop him from loathing injuries any less; or more specifically, healing from them. Considering he was known for his speed, spontaneity and inability to stop moving, it really didn't come as a surprise to anyone that being forced to rest, wait and be still didn't sit well with him.

As he lay in the dark infirmary, trying to fall asleep and not jostle his injured shoulder (as even in his sleep did he stop moving), he decided moodily that his current predicament was not improving his opinion on that matter _at all._

With a frustrated sigh, he readjusted his position to try and get a more comfortable position in the deathly still bay. The yordle had listened to the medic leave a while ago to go to dinner with his family, leaving the restless ninja alone in his attempt at the arduous task of falling asleep.

The quiet click of the door-lock brought his moody sulking to a sudden halt. The yordle immediately throwing himself under the bed before he even took in the Noxian assassin. He hadn't needed to see her lethal silhouette to know something was wrong. No one was allowed into the medical bay this late at night, and no one, not even the medic would have locked the door behind them.

Thankfully, it seemed the assassin hadn't seen him as he crawled underneath the beds, but that didn't stop the chill of unease rising his fur as she spoke.

"I know you're in here little mouse."

He felt his ear twitch in annoyance at the nickname, even as fear pooled in the bottom of his stomach. This was really bad. He'd had a hard enough time fighting her last time. Now he was locked in a room with the woman, with a busted arm and next to no energy because he'd used it all in a desperate electric blast to save himself from her last attempt on his life.

He grimaced as he pulled said arm from its sling – the medic would kill him for using it later, but right now he needed every asset he could get to survive – grabbing one of his remaining shuriken as he slowly made his way past where the Noxian was searching. He wouldn't last in a prolonged one-on-one fight but his small size and the dim lighting would hopefully be enough to give him a slight advantage – one he intended to use to his fullest.

Katarina stalked carefully through the dark, silent room, eyes scanning for her prey. By locking the door, she knew she'd both stopped him from escaping and – with any luck – bought enough time for her to find and finish him. However, despite the surety of the outcome, she did not drop her guard. The ninja had already proven himself to be a formidable opponent, and even injured, she had no doubt he would put up a fierce fight. Experience had taught her that much.

As if to prove her right, she suddenly dropped and rolled under a pair of shuriken that flew at her from behind. She threw a dagger in the direction they'd come from but as expected it hit nothing.

Silence reigned, smothering the room as one strained to find her target while the other stilled in his new hiding place.

Finally, after a tense minute of forced stillness, Katarina started to move again. "If you're going to stall for time, at least make it interesting," she called out as she walked back towards the door, leaving her back exposed to the row of beds along the right wall.

As expected, another pair of shuriken came at her, but this time Kat was ready. Twisting to the side, she shoved hard at the nearest cot, sending it careening into the others in a clatter of warping metal.

Kennen shot out of the carnage, his fist connecting with the Noxian's stomach and sending them both tumbling backwards. The yordle kicked the assassin as they rolled before driving a shuriken at her face. In defence, Katarina lashed out at his injured shoulder, redirecting the blade to scrape across her cheek before the young ninja pulled back with a cry of pain. That was all the opportunity she needed, kicking him off.

Kennen hit the wall hard. Groaning he pulled himself onto his hand and knees, head spinning and the nerves all up his arm screaming out their agony. Shaking his head, he looked up just in time to see the assassin lunging for him, rolling out of the way just before her dagger slammed into the ground where he'd been.

He scrambled away from her, turning to throw another shuriken only to stall as his hand came up empty. Cursing under his breath, the ninja sprinted across the room as a flurry of knives shot after him. He twisted at the end, catching the last one before, with a quick flick, he sent it back towards the Noxian.

Surprised by the action, she only just blocked the returned blade, giving Kennen enough time to race in close to her for a couple of hits. Before he could pull away however, Katarina grabbed his wrist, flipping him up and over her in an improvised roll only to slam the yordle into the ground behind her.

Though winded and body aching, Kennen refused to give up, drawing up a portion of his rejuvenated magic and releasing a short blast at the springing assassin. Caught mid jump, the Noxian was sent flying backwards, before crashing back down hard on the stone floor.

Utilising the small reprieve, Kennen unsteadily got his feet back under him. He pushed the pain aside as he forced his body to race towards the closed door. In his current state, he knew he couldn't keep fighting her, but he should have enough energy left to blast his way out of the infirmary and escape.

Across the room, Katarina saw the ninja making a break for it. Snatching for a knife as she quickly pushed herself upright.

"If you run," she taunted, the blade swiftly leaving her hand straight for the retreating figure, "you won't see me stab you."

Kennen turned, trying to twist out of the oncoming attack, only for a sudden bout of dizziness to slow his reflexes.

The blade struck true, hitting the yordle square in the chest. Their combined momentum threw him off his feet. The force of the blow sending him rolling helplessly across the floor before he came to a stop on his back. Excruciating pain tore through his body causing him to cry out, as a long, deep gash blooming red on his upper body from where the blade had been ripped free during the tumble.

At the sound of footsteps steadily approaching him, the downed ninja tried to feebly move but his limbs barely responded, feeling sluggish and heavy already from the blood loss. All he could do was try and breathe around the wet sloshing from an obviously punctured lung as the redhead's face came into view.

"I'll admit, you put up a good fight. Far better than I've had in ages," Katarina spoke softly, lightly stroking his ears before, with a determined expression, she raised her dagger. "To thank you, I'll make your death swift."

Kennen could only stare, his waning focus set fully on the deadly blade as it fell. He did not hear the door as it was smashed open and barely registered the assassin being thrown backwards by a blue blur. Then another face filled his vision, framed in green and black.

 _Akali,_ his mind helpfully supplied as she pressed down firmly on the gaping wound, trying to desperately stop the flow of blood.

The yordle knew he should be concerned that he could barely feel her hands but instead found himself fascinated by the sheer worry etched into the normally apathetic, ninja's face.

 _Aw you do care,_ he tried to joke, but all that came out was wheezy croak.

"Kennen," Akali's dread filled voice still held enough authority to break through the building haze, drawing his attention to her blurry face. "You need to stay with me. You need to stay awake. Do you understand? Don't go to sleep."

 _But I'm so tired,_ he thought, his eyes involuntarily closing before he forced them back open. _Is this what normal people feel like?_ he wondered, idly watching the dimming face before him. It looked like she was saying something else, but for the life of him he couldn't make it out. Why couldn't he hear her? He wanted to ask but he couldn't get enough air in his lungs. He couldn't breathe. He felt like that should worry him but he simply didn't have the energy to care. He didn't have the energy to keep fighting.

 _I'm sorry,_ he thought before his eyes closed once more and the darkness pull him down into oblivion.


	5. The Mourning After

**Author's note: I'm so, so, so, sorry for how long it's taken me to upload this chapter. I sprained my wrist and couldn't work on this for a month. First because I actually couldn't use that hand for the first couple of weeks and then because when I did have limited use of it, I ended up over using it to try and catch up on work. So yeah, not fun.**

 **Anyway, it's not my best chapter but I really wanted to get something to you all. Sorry again for the long wait. Next chapter should (barring anymore unforeseen circumstances) be up on time.**

* * *

A tense silence hung over the village the following morning, despite the disproportionate number of people up at the early hour. Word had spread quickly after the attack the night before, leaving everyone awake and on edge. All those who could be spared were split into teams to systematically scour the area. The alert ninja searching for some sign of the imposter that dared hurt an essential member of their clan even as the first rays of light skimmed the tops of the buildings. Meanwhile, inside the temple a small cluster of people had gathered outside the infirmary door, waiting with hushed tones to see if the young Heart of the Tempest would survive. High above the anxious crowd, lying low along one of the building's tall trusses, Katarina too waited with baited breath.

It had taken her many hours to make her way back here after slipping away from the Eye of Twilight. During that time, she'd been forced to utilise all of her skills to evade the vigilant patrols before eventually working her way back to the medical centre to wait. Her choice of position had been a threefold decision; providing a secure hiding spot to wait out the seeking patrols while also allowing her to keep an eye on her two remaining targets as they all waited to see if her latest attempt was successful.

The Noxian felt her annoyance build at the thought of her last fight. She had been so close to eliminating one of her targets. A few seconds longer would have been enough to guarantee it. Only for the untimely intervention of the blue ninja to once more thwart her. Still, she figured it had only prolonged the inevitable; very few could survive a wound like that, even with immediate medical care. However, she needed to make sure. Past experience had taught her that presumptions – no matter how valid – could lead to major complications if they turned out to be wrong. And in a profession that required walking on a knife's edge, complications usually ended with unnecessary death.

Her attention was suddenly snapped downwards as the door to the infirmary opened, emitting the plump, furry medic. Below, the ninjas also paused, their focus fixing onto the Vastayan, only for their hopes to fall as the medic slowly shook their head.

"I'm sorry," their subdued voice still carrying upwards to the hidden assassin, "but he was too far gone. I couldn't save him."

A distraught murmur started amidst the crowd but Katarina paid it no mind, a mixture of satisfaction and sadness filling her. It was almost a shame really, she'd enjoyed fighting the yordle. He was the most thrilling opponent she'd had in a long time. Almost as thrilling as fighting _him._ Still, she reminded herself, pushing the disappointment aside, she still had two more targets to go and she was positive they'd be just as much fun.

Her eyes soon honed in on said two ninjas as they exited the infirmary. Shen soon came to a stop beside the medic to talk to his father, so Katarina turned her attention to watch as the green-clad woman stomped away from the crowd. The grief and anger written in every line of Akali's body left the assassin with little doubt that her destination was some secluded training ground to destroy.

 _Well,_ she thought with a smirk, as she carefully trailed the ninja from above, _I did say I wanted a challenge._

* * *

Akali's kama once more sliced through a target, but it did little to quell the burning swirl of emotions spiralling tighter and tighter in her chest. The ninja forced herself to slow her breathing, trying to get a handle on the anger, grief and helplessness, raging out of control within her. She was the Fist of Shadow, she could not afford to let her emotions control her like this. Of course, said thoughts did as little as tearing up the training field in quelling the turbulent feelings.

Her hands gripped tightly around her weapons shook, still covered in the blood of their youngest member from when she'd tried desperately to stop him bleeding out.

With a snarl, she launched herself at the next dummy.

How could they have been so stupid? That damn assassin had already attacked him once. Just because he was in the centre of the temple shouldn't have caused them to let their guard down. After all, she'd gotten into their village without detection; from there, getting into the temple wasn't much of a stretch.

Her blades cut through the wooden puppet with ease, the top barely having time to tilt backwards before the Ionian turned to the next one with fury.

Maybe if they'd realised the Noxian's intent earlier, if they'd gotten there sooner, then Kennen wouldn't be-

She cut that train of thought off with force, jerking to a stop before the last target before she puzzled over that thought.

It was weird for her to shy away from such topics. She'd been trained to become the Fist of Shadow since she was a young child. During that time, she'd seen (and caused) her fair share of death and injury. It was a known part of life. Just as she knew that close allies were not exempt from treachery or death. For this to hit her so hard was… unsettling. Yes, she knew she implicitly trusted her teammates (after working so closely for so long it became essential), but she had not realised till now how much she'd come to care for them both.

With a sigh, she lowered her weapons. There wasn't much left here to take her anger out on anyway.

Suddenly, her form tensed and her temper flamed to the surface again as she felt a familiar presence behind her.

"You," she hissed, turning to face the nonchalant figure in the shadows.

* * *

Haybai stood staring at the medic in numb disbelief, the Vastyan's words sounding again and again within her brain without really sinking in. By her side, Nemr stood stock still, shock and grief evident on his face.

Because he was gone. Kennen: the energetic, impulsive yordling they'd taken under their wings what seemed like forever ago and had become like a little brother to them, was dead. Killed by the assassin still roaming their home trying to kill the clan's triumvirate.

"-need to contact his family and begin looking for a new Heart of the Tempest." She absentmindedly heard Lord Kushio say to his son.

"I'll take care of contacting his family. However, I think we should wait until we've dealt with the assassin before looking for a new Heart. The last thing that we need is to bring an inexperienced candidate into a potentially deadly situation. We-" Shen's words were lost as Nemr shifted beside her.

"I can't believe he's really gone." Nemr's quiet voice cracked with emotion.

Haybai could only nod before burying her face in the taller yordle's shoulder as the reality of what had happened set in and the tears started to fall.

She knew she shouldn't be crying. Death was an inevitable part of their lifestyle, and grief could cloud one from doing their duty properly. But she couldn't help it. Realising she would never see the lively, fun-loving yordle again. The one who could go from a lovable flirt and playful prankster to a deadly-serious ninja when called upon. The one whose light personality and caring nature balanced out his two teammates so perfectly. And now he was gone forever.

The steady footsteps heading towards them had her turning fast, wiping the tears from her eyes as Shen approached them.

"Lord Shen," she gave a quick bow. "What can we do for you?"

His eyes held a look of compassionate understanding as he spoke softly. "I need you two to come with me."

* * *

Glaring the Noxian assassin down, Akali sneered, "You've got a lot of nerve showing up here after what you just pulled."

The accusation barely phased Katarina however as she moved further into the well-lit training room. "Hit a sore spot, did I?" she smirked. "And here I thought you ninja were supposed to be impartial."

The green ninja's hands tightened around her weapons. "Kind of hard not to be defensive when you keep trying to kill me and my teammates."

Katarina just shrugged. "I already told you, I'm just doing my job. It's not my fault if you're not good enough to stop me."

The sly smirk the Noxian sent her along with the words did nothing to help the Ionian's fraying temper, causing Akali to grit her teeth in order to avoid rising to the obvious bait. Thankful that her mask hid her change in expression, she instead pressed further. "So who are you working for?"

"You mean you can't guess," the red-head feigned shock, thoroughly enjoying this game of wits. "Well, then again, I suppose you do have a lot of enemies don't you. Maybe I should have asked for more to get rid of the three of you."

Akali narrowed her eyes at the assassin's mocking response. It was becoming fairly obvious that was the most she was going to get from the Noxian. She was just too sharp to give anything else away. Though, with the rage still burning deep within her gut, that suited the Fist of Shadow just fine. She was done playing around.

Acting faster than Katarina had expected, the green-clad woman lunged at her; her kama flying from her hand as she closed the distance. The Noxian barely managed to twist to the side and dodge the flung weapon, only to get sucker-punched in the face by the irate ninja. The force of the blow sent her tumbling backwards a couple of metres before she managed to catch herself.

Akali stalked towards the downed woman, kama in both hands. Her voice growling ominously between them, "After what you just pulled, you really picked the wrong ninja to follow."

Before she could react, the green ninja leapt at the assassin, pinning her to the ground. Legs tightly pinching the Noxian's arms to her torso she raised her weapon for the killing blow. "I'm going to enjoy this."

Katarina, however, just gave her a wicked grin, "I'm flattered but you're not my type."

The comment stalled the ninja for a brief moment of disbelief, allowing Katarina enough time to pull her legs up and around the green woman's waist and flip them both. As they fell backgrounds, Akali managed to pull her legs up underneath herself, before vaulting the assassin away from her.

The Noxian caught herself in a handspring before flipping back to feet to face the now standing ninja. She grinned, but before she could voice another witty remark, Akali was already springing for her. Her attacks came hard and fast, forcing Katarina on the defensive. The red-haired assassin blocked a kama with one of her larger daggers, sidestepping the other and then jumping the following kick before she finally put some distance between them.

As the green ninja once more closed the distance between them, Katarina rethought her plan to target her. Furious over the death of her teammate, it was obvious the anger was making her twice as dangerous. Still, the Noxian was far from outclassed. All she needed was a little bit of space then her surprise move should be enough to turn the table. And with a little luck, she could pull that off before that damn blue ninja showed up.

* * *

Despite the sombre mood, Nemr couldn't help looking curiously about them as he and Haybai followed Shen deeper into the temple. This was the furthest he had ever been into the building that lay at the centre of the village. And for good reason.

The Kinkou temple was huge. The intricate, multi-story architecture carved into the very stone of the mountain that towered over the village was one of the first visible sights upon arrival and often left the few visitors the Kinkou had in awe. He could still freshly remember his arrival and the breathtaking wonder the striking, ancient structure had instilled in him.

But what few realised was the depth that the temple reached; the rocky rooms extending, not only horizontally deep into the mountain side, but also vertically, up and down away from the surface structure. In fact, very few (even amoungst the Kinkou) knew exactly how far they extended. Almost all of the public space lay close to the entrance of the temple, with the rest of the sizable space used to store the many artefacts too powerful or too dangerous to the balance. Instead, they were locked deep within the mountain, to be hidden away forever from the outside world. As they travelled further inwards and upwards, the striped yordle could feel their influence. The dark magic charging the stale air around them and making his fur rise up in uneasiness.

Finally, the trio came to a stop outside a nondescript door which Shen promptly opened, causing both yordles to stop dead in their tracks.

The room itself was nothing special – just a small, brightly lit and sparsely furnished room – but it was what was in the room that had Haybai gasping in shock and left Nemr gaping. Because there, tucked into a medical berth in the centre of the room with several machines humming softly away around him, was Kennen.

The youth was as motionless as Nemr had ever recalled seeing him. But one thing was abundantly clear: he was most certainly not dead.

* * *

 **Gasp! I didn't kill him! Then again, I'm pretty sure most of you guys knew that already :). Don't worry, there is a method to my madness, which'll be explained in the coming chapters.**


	6. Foresight

**Author's note: Ehh, not my longest chapter. But at least I got it up on time (despite being sick). Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

The two yordles stood in stunned disbelief at the sight before them, unable to take their eyes off of the prone form tucked securely amoungst the mounds of blankets and medical machines.

Finally, Haybai found her voice, "But, I don't understand. We were told he was dead."

Satisfied that the equipment was all in working order, Shen turned back to face them. "Yes, and I apologise for any grief that deception caused you, but it was necessary."

"Why?" the accusation was clear in Haybai's voice. The normally level-headed and respectful yordle's ire rising with a swell of protectiveness.

However, before Shen could answer, Nemr spoke up. "It's because of the assassin isn't it," he said, piecing together the information.

The blue ninja nodded. "After Chirik got him stabilised, we concluded that his best hope of recovery was if the assassin didn't know he'd survived. She's a very skilled warrior; good enough that neither Akali nor I are guaranteed to best her one-on-one. Now that we know she's here, we will be able to watch each other's backs fine. But in his current state, we would not be able to protect Kennen as well as ourselves for long. Eventually, the Noxian would find an opening and it would likely cost Kennen his life."

"So you made it seem like he'd died and hid him up here," Nemr summarised. The orange and black yordle narrowed his eyes in thought. "Who else knows about this?"

"Only Chirik, Akali and I. We figured the fewer who knew, the better his odds would be."

"So why tell us?" Haybai asked softly. The monochromatic female had moved closer to the bed, gently stroking the younger yordle's hair.

"Akali and I cannot risk approaching him with the assassin still around and as chief medic, Chirik can only spare so much time here before someone becomes suspicious. But we still need someone to watch over him, to ensure his physical and mental state doesn't deteriorate. You two are familiar to him and low ranked enough not to draw suspicion from other clan members or the Noxian, making you ideal candidates. Plus, I know you will take care of him."

At Shen's words both yordles gave him sincere and serious nods.

"You can count on us," Haybai promised.

"I know," the blue ninja responded. The earnest moment was ended as Shen briskly headed for the door. "I have to go now. Akali's distracting the assassin but I don't want to leave her there alone for too long. Good luck." And with that he left the small group of yordles alone.

* * *

Flipping, twisting and weaving out of the long-reaching weapon's range, Katarina tried to put some distance between her and the irate ninja. But Akali wasn't letting up, matching the assassin's speed and dexterity as they parkoured around the destroyed training field.

Now Katarina was starting to get a little worried. She was by no means a slacker when it came to close combat and endurance, but very rarely was she locked down in a fight with one enemy. Katarina excelled at striking quicker than her opponent, slipping past their defences before they could react. But with her anger boosting her reflexes, Akali was meeting her blow for blow, and leaving her with no openings, nor the time to creatively make one. And the longer this went on, the more likely it was that help would arrive. She needed to end this, fast.

However, luck was apparently not with her this mission. As she came out of a backflip, her foot landed on an unstable perch, sliding away with her sudden weight and almost taking the Noxian with it. Her hesitation, while brief, was all the opening Akali needed; swinging her kamas at the distracted woman.

Katarina looked up to see the horizontal blades cleaving towards her, knowing she did not have the time to dodge. Instead, she activated her shunpo device, dropping down into the instantaneous portal before the blades decapitated her.

A moment later, she landed on one of the support beams, out of sight of the confused ninja down below. Muting the hiss of pain that almost escaped her, the Noxian grasped her upper arm from where she hadn't quite evaded the last strike. The cut was wide and bleeding fast, but thankfully, it wasn't deep. She could deal with it later. Right now was her chance to end this.

Readying the device again to teleport to the green ninja's open back, the red-head froze as a familiar voice called out, "Akali!"

Cursing her bad luck as the Eye of the Twilight strode into the room, Katarina slowly started easing her own way out, deciding to look for an opportunity later. Right now she was tired, injured and outnumbered. Better to come back when she wasn't at risk of being so sloppy.

* * *

Akali's tense form spun at the sound of her teammate's approach, however, after a moment identifying him, her body relaxed just slightly. Shen's eyebrow quirked upwards (not that she could see it) at the sight of the destroyed training room before he asked mildly, "Feeling better?"

Looking around at the wreckage Akali shrugged. "A little," she answered honestly. Turning back to her teammate she got straight to the point. "She got away again."

The blue ninja sighed, "That was expected."

"How did your end go?" Akali queried as they started making their way out of the wrecked room.

"Everything's set up as planned. They'll take care of it."

Shen watched as the last of the tension drained out of his partner but made no comment on the almost indiscernible change.

"So what now?" the green ninja asked, turning her attention forward now that she was satisfied with the safety of their third member.

"Now, we go see Bear. I'm hoping he can provide some useful insight into the situation. Or at the very least, provide a safe place to plan our next move."

With nothing left to say, the pair found themselves travelling the short distance to Bear's forge in silence. The tense quiet finally broken when the massive blacksmith opened the door.

"Friends," he smiled, but it did not reach his sombre eyes. "Come in."

"Thank you Bear," Shen dipped his head as the two ninjas entered the modest house. "Are we alone?"

The specifics of the question went unsaid, but none of the occupants needed them, all too aware of who he was referring to. Instead, the giant's bright, blue eyes grew far away as he scanned the area. "The assassin is currently heading to the north edge of the village. No one is eavesdropping on us."

Relaxing minutely, Shen took a seat at the simple wooden table. Akali, however, was still too high strung and, despite the assurances, instead situated herself up against the wall near the window.

Bear turned to put the kettle on, leaving his guests to their thoughts briefly as he busied himself around the small kitchen. Once satisfied with the hospitality, he turned back to the sombre ninja, his expression becoming serious. "Now, what can I do for you?"

"I need you to send a letter to Karma, warning of a potential Noxian invasion."

Despite Shen's calm demeanour, his words perked both of their interests, causing Akali to turn from her watch to regard him. "So you've decided to send the letter anyway? I thought we didn't have enough validation to go off of yet?"

"I don't think we have much choice," the blue ninja steepled his fingers together as he spoke. "After what we saw in Zaun, the sudden appearance of a Noxian assassin here of all places is too much of a coincidence to risk not alerting the Ionian council. I would have liked to learn a little more before sending the warning – such as a place or a time – but we haven't been able to glean any further knowledge from the assassin."

Akali scowled but nodded nonetheless, as he continued. "And with the assassin's undivided attention on us, it is too risky to investigate ourselves. Which means our best course of action is to warn others and leave the investigation to them. At least this way it should hopefully mitigate the damage done, if and when the invasion does occur. Though, I will admit, I was also hoping you may be able to provide us with more information Bear."

An uncharacteristically intense frown took over the giant's dark face. "No, I'm afraid not my friend. My Sight has become clouded recently. I cannot See as far as I used too."

The two ninjas straightened in surprise, sending each other a brief glance before Shen quietly asked, "Do you know why?"

"No," was the grim answer, the blacksmith's gaze locked onto something neither Ionian could see. "But I fear that something big is stirring at home. I did not want to get involved again, but it seems it's become inevitable." The big man sighed. "I'm sorry, I had not planned on telling you so soon, not until the Noxian assassin had been dealt with, but it seems fate has once more played its hand. I will deliver your letter but then I must leave. I don't know if I will return."

Again, the two ninjas exchanged looks. Bear was being uncharacteristically frank. The enigmatic smith was usually reluctant to reveal too much about his past. But neither ninja was concerned about that at the moment, both too focused on the implication of the man's words.

"If there is anything we can do to help," Shen started, but Bear's good-natured laugh stopped him.

"No my friend, though I appreciate the offer. Even though you're tasked with keeping the world in balance, there are some things too big for you to do much. Besides, I'm sure it's just a minor problem, something that should only take a short time to fix – well, by my standards anyway."

"And if not?" Akali asked, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"If not?" Bear answered, expression turning grave, "Then in the end, we may all be fighting for our lives. I doubt it will come to that, but I must go anyway. Tell that bundle of energy when he wakes up that I said goodbye. And take care of yourselves, my friends."

"You too Bear," Shen shook the smith's hand.

The shrill whistle of the kettle broke through the stretching tension, allowing the blacksmith to leave the two ninjas alone as he once more busied himself around the kitchen.

Akali shifted by the window, turning to her companion and pulling Shen from his deep thoughts in query.

"So now what?" she asked quietly, and Shen knew that her broad question covered more than just the current situation. Still, he could offer little advice, instead offering all that he could.

"Now?" he echoed. "We wait."

* * *

Katarina trailed overhead of the two ninjas, deep in thought. It had been several weeks since she'd finished her first target, but despite a couple of small altercations things had been relatively quiet. Having wizened up to her strategy, her remaining targets had stuck together like glue, knowing that she could not attack them both together. However, they had also been unable to find her, and with the threat she posed hanging overhead, they could not afford to leave the village, leaving them in an uneasy stalemate.

The Noxian felt a smile tug at the corner of her mouth. She hadn't had a job this challenging in a long time. Still, this stalemate was starting to get on her nerves. Not because she wasn't getting the job done. In fact, technically she was being just as effective at eliminating her target's influence currently than if she had killed them already. No, it was because the stalemate was boring and no fun. It was time to shake things up. Which meant splitting her targets up.

Her smirk grew into a full grin as an idea started forming. It wasn't her usual style, but then again, this wasn't one of her usual jobs. With that in mind, she left her targets to begin setting up for the end.

* * *

 **Getting pretty close to the end here. I'd say only a couple of chapters left (Which is good cause I'm starting to get tired of writing fight scenes :P).**

 **Now onto the reviews.**

 **Steamingc: I try to get a chapter up every 2-3 weeks. Used to be 2, but this year it's extended to 3 while I get used to working full time. Last chapter was an unusually long time coming because of extenuating circumstances :).**

 **Cici: You have no idea how much your review made my day :). I'm honoured that I was able to have that much of an impact on you (though to be fair, Kennen is one of my favourites - I love watching him played on the pro scene and playing him in arams). Congrats on making M7, and I hope I can continue to produce more stories as great as they've been from day 1 too :).**


	7. Fading Black

**Author's note: Hi everyone, sorry for the delay on the chapter. But I'm currently on holiday in California :D! Been fun but also been busy, both on the trip and preparing for it. Just in case anyone was wondering why I disappeared off the grid :P. I had fun writing this one though so I hope you enjoy the belated chapter too :).**

* * *

The first thing he became aware of was the darkness. An all-encompassing black void that he floated passively in. No feelings and no thoughts consumed his mind, just a base awareness of being in that blank nothingness.

Then, gradually, he started to feel pain – a dull pervasive ache all over – that grounded him slightly. Focusing on the discomfort he realised it seemed to be strongest around where he thought his chest was. A slightly sharper pain every time he breathed.

Wait, he was breathing?

Yeah, he was. Strange he hadn't noticed that till now.

Then the darkness pulled him down again.

* * *

He could hear voices. At least he thought they were voices. They're soft and indistinct but they're there, fading in and out with the darkness.

Sometimes they got real close and he could almost make out the words (along with something that felt like a light touch against his fur), other times they're further away, soft and continuous like a running river.

And sometimes there was no sound. Just empty silence with nothing to try and keep the darkness at bay. He hated those times the most.

* * *

He was starting to get restless. He wanted to do something. Anything. But he couldn't. He felt so tired. It was strange, he wasn't used to feeling this tired. But tired or not, he wanted to do something – anything really – to escape the mind-numbing nothingness he'd been floating in and out of for what felt like an eternity.

He wanted to move, to talk, to see. He wanted to wake up.

The knowledge that he was asleep came as a strange shock. Could it really be as simple as that? Just, open his eyes and escape the darkness?

He tried to open them, but all they did was twitch. Apparently it wasn't that easy.

But he was still restless and he really wanted to wake up so he tried again, putting more effort in this time. With more energy than he would have thought possible, he eventually forced his eyes open.

It was dark and it took him a bit to realise his eyes were, in fact, open. Slowly, the dim blue light allowed him to make out the outlines of the room. He could see the end of his bed, and the shape of the door across the barren room.

It took another bout of inexorable effort but finally he managed to turn his head to find the source of the light. Several machines met his sight, each rhythmically synced with the continuous beeping he recognised from his blurry dreams.

A slight movement and the soft sound of breathing drew his eyes past the machines only to stop in surprise at the sight of the black and white female currently asleep in the chair by his bed.

 _Haybai._ He struggled to move his hand, trying to reach her, but it was taking so much energy. More energy than he had in that moment. With resignation, he stopped and let the weariness carry him back under.

* * *

The next time he gained awareness, it was a lot quicker. The sensation of consciousness, touch and sound steadily returning together. He revelled in the feelings for a while, content with something other than the overwhelming exhaustion he last recalled. But soon the restlessness set in and he decided to take another attempt at wakefulness.

It was still unreasonably difficult to return to the land of consciousness but it was also noticeably easier than last time. After a few moments, he managed to open his eyes.

The room looked the same as the last time he saw it: bare of much more than his bed and the cluster of beeping machines attached to him. However, it was much brighter and instead of Haybai, it was Nemr sitting by him.

"Hey," the greeting he managed to force out sounded like a combination of a dying raptor and a frog gurgling nails but it was at least audible enough to cause the striped yordle's head to whip around in shock.

The shock quickly faded into elation however with a cry of "You're awake!"

"Heh," Kennen managed a small grin, "first time I've heard someone so happy to say that."

Nemr sent him a humorous grin before turning to check the medical machines. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Ugh," Kennen responded despondently, the question and his movement to follow the older yordle's path causing the pain in his chest to flare up as his breathing grew strained. Once the pain subsided he answered, "Like a herd of Shagyaks stampeded over me and then back over just to make sure."

The other yordle snorted at the analogy.

A yawn forced its way out of the young ninja. "And tired," he added. "Why am I so tired?"

As his eyes flickered closed without his permission he managed to mumble a garbled, "this sucks," before succumbing once more to the void.

* * *

He was floating again. Floating in the dark emptiness, as the outside sounds and sensations flitted in and out like a dying spinning wire, almost close enough to grasp but not quite. And all the while the restless energy built. Surging and swelling under the surface, trying to find a way out. Demanding he move, turn, do _something._ But he could not. Even the burning energy unable to overcome the perversive exhaustion pushing him down into the smothering void. It was beyond infuriating.

Then, after what seemed like an eternity of the fatigue and energy fighting one another, the energy won out and he felt himself steadily rising to consciousness once more. As his senses sharpened and the voices around him became distinguishable, he could feel the fog of tiredness recede further than ever before towards the back of his mind.

Finally, he opened his eyes to the welcome sight of Nemr and Haybai talking to Chirik. As he stirred Haybai absentmindedly turned, only for her pale face to light up with joy at the sight of him.

"Kennen!" Her and Nemr's elated faces were only visible for a brief second before his sight was filled with an up-close look of a furious, furry face. The usually hyperactive yordle sat absolutely still, quite content not to be on the bad side of the grouchy Vastayan as the medic went about checking his vitals.

Finally satisfied they turned back to him and promptly cuffed him over the ear.

"Ow!" Kennen yelped. "What'd I do?"

"Of all the stupid, irresponsible- I told you not to use your arm. But did you listen? No! Redamaged the shoulder. Almost couldn't fix it this time. Not that it was my priority when I found you. It's a good thing you're so lucky or you'd be dead by now – and not by my hand."

Slightly confused due to his fuzzy memories, but far from eager to anger the muttering medic, Kennen let them continue. Only to jump in surprise when they turned back to him, "Now!" their fuzzy face softened. "I'm glad you're alright. How are you feeling?"

"Umm, tired. And my chest hurts. And my limbs feel sluggish. And ache. But not as bad as last time… I think."

Chirik nodded. "As expected. Good. That means you're healing fine."

As the furry medic jotted down a few more points, Kennen found the courage to ask the question that had been plaguing him since he'd awoken in this strange room. "Soo… what happened?"

All motion stopped as three sets of eyes lasered in on him with unblinking, incredulous looks.

"You," hesistantly, Haybai broke the oppressive silence, "don't remember?"

The downed yordle shook his head, his face scrunching in thought as he racked his brain for what could have possibly occurred to draw a response like this. "Everything's kinda blurry at the moment. I… The last thing I remember… I was staying the night in the infirmary. Why was I- my shoulder! Chirik had to heal my shoulder after… after… " his eyes went wide as he remembered, "The assassin!"

In a burst of unthinking panic he lurched upright, only to fall back onto the bed with a cry as searing pain flared into vengeful life like snakes tightening around his chest. A sharp stabbing agony shooting across his lungs and causing the hyperventilating yordle into a frenzied panic as it constricted his breathing further.

Instantly, the other occupants sprung into action; the two older ninjas pinning their comrade down with practised ease as the medic turned the young yordle's attention to them. "Easy. Breathe. You're alright. You're alive and you're safe. But you need to breathe."

"Shen! Akali!" Kennen barely got the words out around his frantic breathing.

"-are alright," Chirik cut him off. "They're fine. As are you. Now you need to slow your breathing. In, two, three, four. Out, two, three, four…"

Forcing himself to take slow, meditative breathes, Kennen felt his heartrate drop and his panic recede until he found himself wilting back into the mattress. His chest was still on fire and his panic was far from over but, as Chirik checked the state of his pulled stitches, he was able to gather his thoughts enough to ask, "How am I still alive?"

Haybai's hand had moved from restraining to stroking the back of his own, further reducing the tension within him as the medic answered.

"Luck mostly. Akali got to you just in time to stop you from fully bleeding out before I could get you stabilised. And even then it was a near thing."

The yordle nodded numbly, shock settling over the panic at how close to death he'd come. Forcing his mind away from the thought, he asked, "And the assassin?"

"She got away," Nemr's quiet voice held an angry edge.

"She's made a couple of more attempts at Shen and Akali but they've been able to hold her off reasonably well," Haybai expanded as Kennen's curious eyes locked onto her. "However, they haven't been able to catch her. In fact, I don't think they've seen her for the last couple of days."

"Couple of days?" his eyes widened. "How- how long have I been out?"

The elder yordles exchanged another sombre glance before Chirik sighed.

"You've been in a coma for two weeks," they told him bluntly.

"What?! But that- I don't-" Shock and disbelief filled the ninja as he tried to reconcile that fact over the jumble of disjointed thoughts and feelings fighting for dominance too fast for even his quick paced mind to keep up with.

Two weeks! He'd been in a coma for two weeks! How was he still alive? He didn't feel dead. But if he'd really just woken up from a coma why wasn't he in the med bay? It'd been _two weeks_. Were Shen and Akali okay? Where were they? Actually, where was _he_? Why hadn't the assassin tried for him again? If he'd been unconscious for two weeks then surely she would have tried to kill him again. Wouldn't she?

The more questions he asked and the more he tried to rationalise the fact, the less things seemed to add up. Add to that the sad hesitance he could feel permeating the atmosphere like a smothering blanket, just pushed him over the edge.

He narrowed his eyes at them. "What aren't you telling me?" The question came out more accusatory than he'd meant it to, causing Haybai to flinch but he was too fed up with the situation to take it back; the fear for himself and his comrades, the impatience of healing, the uselessness of his current state and the obvious secrets causing him to push on. "If I've been out of commission for _two weeks_ why hasn't the assassin tried to kill me again? You can't possibly tell me you've held her off for that long or that she hasn't attempted it again. Because even if you stowed me wherever we are to try and keep me away from her, it would have been easy for her to just follow one of you to find me. So why hasn't she?"

Dead silence filled the room and no one would meet his eyes. The tense silence stretching as thin as his patience before Nemr let out a long breath and met his accusatory gaze.

"That's because," his quiet voice held an abnormal note of hesitancy. "In order to stop the assassin going after you again, she couldn't know you survived. Kennen, everyone thinks you're dead."

* * *

The room was dark but that didn't seem to bother Kennen as he slowly stepped through another practice kata.

A combination of Chirik's magic and the yordle's own fast healing meant his injuries had healed already. Though, he thought with resignation as his hand unconsciously rubbed at his chest, he would always have the scars.

Shaking his head he forced himself to continue with the exercise, quickly shifting through a roundhouse into a butterfly kick. His body performed it perfectly, but his heart wasn't in it. Instead, his thoughts wandered back to the knowledge he could still barely wrap his head around – even now.

Even after a whole week of being mostly conscious it was still a hard concept to grasp. Even harder than the knowledge that he'd very nearly died; harder than the fact that he'd been in a coma for two weeks. For three weeks everyone had thought he'd died.

It was an eerie thought, but one he could not shake. Sure, there were a few who knew the truth. Chirik, Haybai and Nemr continued to visit him and he knew that Shen and Akali were being briefed on his recovery. But everyone else in the Kinkou, everyone else in his life, thought he was dead.

The worst thing about that realisation though were the questions that came with it. Had people grieved? How had they taken the news? What was happening now? What were they doing about his position? Were the Kinkou the only ones to know? Did… did his family think he was dead?

His breath hitched at the thought of his mum, dad and little brother mourning his passing.

The next set of punches were choppy and forceful as he tried to shake that train of thought loose; instead turning his thoughts forward, though that did little to ease his already sour mood.

The assassin had been unusually quiet lately. It had been three weeks since she'd launched her last successful attack and over a week since she'd last been spotted. Nemr had told him some ninjas thought this was a sign that she'd given up, but Kennen was not so naïve. Thankfully, neither were Shen and Akali, who had continued to stick together and avoid him.

But the longer she remained missing the more he worried for his two teammates. The assassin had already proven to be very skilled and very clever. And Kennen worried at what her extended absence could mean. However, even if she did attack his partners, it wasn't like he could do anything about it. Until he had fully recovered he couldn't even hope to help should something happen.

This helplessness and uncertainty was slowly driving him insane. If Haybai and Nemr weren't around to keep him company (especially when he was bedbound), Kennen was sure he would have gone crazy by now.

As if on cue, a soft hand came down on his shoulder after a particularly aggressive side-sweep.

"Kennen-san," Haybai's soft voice pulled his attention, "are you okay?"

Letting out a deep breath, he forced the small tendrils of electricity dancing across his hands to recede before turning to her. "Yeah, I'm alright." He gave her a small smile.

An eyebrow rose above dark eye patches, telling him she didn't believe him, but thankfully she didn't press. Instead she returned his smile before responding, "Good. Because you have a guest."

Head shooting up in shock, his body soon relaxed when he caught sight of the lean, blue ninja standing just inside the door.

"Shen!" Kennen's face split into a huge grin.

"Hello Kennen," the Eye of Twilight nodded in greeting. "How are you feeling?"

"Well enough to kick some assassin butt," the yordle's stance widened in anticipation.

"Good," Shen moved closer, "because I have a plan."

* * *

 **Ahh! I'm so excited! Only 1 or 2 chapters in this arc left. I will warn, I may be late on the next chapter. You know, cause of the holiday and everything :P. But I'll try to have it up as close to 3 weeks as I can :).**


	8. Stand United

**Author's note: Hey, sorry about how long it's been since I last updated. Good news is I'm back from my holiday. Bad news is this is the last chapter in this arc. Sorry.**

* * *

Shen found Akali soon after leaving Kennen; noting, with a tinge of unease, the uptight and nervous set of her shoulders.

"Akali," he greeted her.

She turned to him, but her expression remained ambiguous as she asked, "How'd it go?"

"Good. He's ready for when we make our move. How did things go on your end?"

With a sigh, she met his eyes. "Shen. She didn't show."

"What?" the blue ninja asked in surprise, trying to figure out what could have happened.

"I exposed myself in the northern training ground but she never showed up," Akali repeated. "You're sure she didn't follow you?"

The worry grew as Shen thought back on his journey to their hidden member before he shook his head. "No. I'm certain I would have sensed her if she did."

"But then that begs the question: if she didn't attack me and she didn't follow you, then where is she?"

Before the blue-clad ninja could answer her question, one of the younger clan members rushed towards them. "Lord Shen, Miss Akali," the ninja wheezed out, trying to catch his breath and talk at the same time, "the assassin's been spotted! The sixth patrol are chasing her through the woods near the lower reaches."

The two warriors didn't even need to look at the other to know what to do. With a shared nod of gratitude at the still panting ninja, the pair turned and raced towards the action.

* * *

They soon came across Cortin and his team just inside the edge of the forest, only to almost stall at the sight of them. All four capable ninjas slowly getting back to their feet despite all bearing some major injuries. Thankfully, a glance told the pair that none of them were life threatening. But for one person to have taken out a formidable ninja team by themselves was concerning.

"What happened?" Shen asked as he and Akali moved forward to help.

"We were ambushed," Cortin groaned. The broad ninja had a nasty gash stretching from his shoulder down to his inner forearm, but he simply gritted his teeth, as he supported his limping comrade. "We spotted the assassin by the border and pursued but when we got here, she turned on us. She took us by surprise with a hail of knives. We barely made it out with our lives."

"And the assassin?" Akali asked scanning the area now that the Vastayan female had a good grip on their last injured member.

"She took off down the western slope."

Shen paused for a moment to think before turning with resolve to the captain. "Get your team to the infirmary, Akali and I will take it from here."

With a nod, the four started making their way back as the two elite ninja continued down the slope.

As they ran, the green-clad woman turned to him. "Why is she headed away from the village? I know, technically, one could get down to the shore this way. Do you think she really is leaving?"

"Doubtful," the blue ninja responded. "She's more likely drawing us away to minimise interference. Having an escape route open is just a bonus."

"So it's a trap. Fantastic," Akali grunted, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Shen ignored it. "Yes. So keep your eyes open. Just because we know it's a trap doesn't mean we know what the trap is. We need to stay close together and be on our guard."

Akali nodded but didn't answer, instead both kept their senses peeled for anything out of the ordinary.

* * *

They continued down the mountain. Twisting through the thick foliage adorning the steep slope as they tried to find any sign of the Noxian.

Akali had just ducked under a low hanging branch when her partner threw his hand out to stop her. The green ninja skidded to a stop just as a pair of knives punctured the air before her.

Jerking towards where the blades had come from, she just managed to catch a flash of red hair and immediately took off after it. A little slower to react, Shen followed after them even as the two females clashed in the air. Katarina focusing on keeping the Fist of Shadow far enough away to not to get hit by her large Kamas as Akali put maximum effort into closing the distance between them.

Too focused on the figure before her, the green-clad woman was unable to react in time to Shen's shout of warning. Turning to her companion, she was too late to act as a metallic beep sounded in the clearing and her vision filled with magical energy.

Shen soon came to a stop beside the magic-electrical hybrid box. Through the transparent, blue screen it was clear that the green ninja was alright. But if her furious attack on the barrier were any indication, she wasn't getting out of there anytime soon.

Before Shen could attempt anything himself, a slim figure dropping down across from him and forced the blue ninja's attention.

"Like it?" Katarina asked with a coy smirk. "It's a hextech barrier, courtesy of some of our Zaunite partners. Just one of their many gadgets. Personally, I don't like using most of them. They're no fun and no challenge. No skill involved in using them. But they're nice to have in reserve for when people aren't fighting fair. If for example I needed something to level the playing field."

Shen felt himself stiffening, shifting into a ready stance as the Noxian stopped observing Akali and turned her gaze to fix solely on him.

"But now that I can kill you one on one, I figured I'd start with you," she continued. "After all, you're always so eager to come to everybody else's rescue. Let's see if you can take care of yourself just as well."

Her devilish grin widened but instead of attacking him head on, she backflipped, catching a low branch and pulling herself up into the trees.

Shen's defensive position became even more tense as he realised what her strategy was. They may not have clashed much, but his swords and his fighting style clearly indicated that he was a melee fighter. And while he did have an impressive leap, he'd already needed to use it in her presence; making it easy for the Noxian to stay out of his range while she whittled away at his defences from afar. And with Akali stuck like she was, he couldn't move from the open clearing without leaving the Fist of Shadow exposed instead. He had to admit, it was an extremely well thought out plan.

Sensing movement behind him, Shen quickly ducked, twisting under the knife flying towards him. He returned to his defensive stance, only to immediately sweep out a single sword and barely deflecting another blade that had been thrown almost perpendicular to the first.

"Not bad," Katarina grinned from her new perch. "But let's see how well you can keep up." In a flash of red light, she was gone.

Shen stilled, slowing his breathing and extending his senses as he waited for the next move. It didn't take long before another three knives came flying towards the ninja. Calmly, he blocked the first two before sidestepping the third. However, he was not prepared for the sudden flash of light behind him.

With a burst of red and a hastily put together defence, the Eye of Twilight managed to deflect the blade slightly, causing the deadly attack to slice along his upper arm instead of into his chest.

Ignoring the pain, Shen swept his twin katanas at the assassin before she could attack again and forcing her to twist away. However, before he could push his advantage Katarina pulled back, disappearing in another burst of light and leaving the ninja on guard again.

The next flurry of blades comes hard and fast and despite his best efforts, the blue ninja was unable to avoid all of them; earning himself a couple of minor nicks and grazes despite his fast reflexes. Still, it wasn't enough to dull his focus as he reacted pre-emptively to the assassin's second attack from behind.

Katarina's eyes widened as his sword came at her head, ducking under it just in time. However, before she could move Shen's hand snaked forward, catching her wrist and effectively pinning her in place as he swung at her again. In a desperate move the assassin pushed herself up off the ground before using the ninja's shoulders as a fulcrum to leap up and over his head.

The sword cut a couple of centimetres off the ends of her hair and the twisting pressure on her captive wrist almost dislocated her arm, but the spontaneous action worked out the way she'd hoped. Shen was forced to let go of her, allowing the Noxian to teleport away as she fell.

The blue ninja frowned at the outcome. He had lost his best chance of winning this fight as it was unlikely she would try coming that close to him again. However, he did have a better idea of her pattern of attack, allowing him to loosen his focus enough to call out even as the next barrage assaulted him. "Why?"

The projectiles paused ever so slightly before the red-head answered, "That's a very broad question. Wanna narrow it down for me?"

"Why are you doing this? What do you gain from attacking us?" Shen clarified, twisting through the mass of blades hurtling towards him from his left – the opposite side to where Katarina had answered him.

Up within the branches, the Noxian rolled her eyes. This line of questioning again. They were persistent if nothing else. Then she smirked: might as well humour them this time. "Me? Nothing. Other than the fun of killing you that is. But the Noxian High Command, well they gain a lot from it."

"Such as?" the blue ninja asked as he blocked another set of daggers the assassin threw as she leapt overhead.

"Freedom mostly. See, your small clan has a fair bit of infamy outside of your little island nation. Mostly for getting in the way of some powerful people's plans. The Noxian Command don't really want that happening to them."

Glancing back at the clearing, Katarina had to stop herself from grinning; just as she'd suspected, opening up a little about her presence here while keeping the ninja on defence with her consistent barrage of blades was allowing her to slowly manoeuvre the ninja where she wanted.

Another three blades forced him back a step as he spoke, "We only intervene where necessary – as I'm sure your High Command knows. Which means they know what they're going to do would be opposed by us. Am I right?"

"Ooh, you are a clever one aren't you?" the assassin cooed, her next set of knives pushing him a little further left. "But maybe not clever enough. After all, did you really think the steady influx of Noxian ships in the south are purely for trade?"

Shen's eyes widened behind his mask. The southern isles foreign trade had been gradually building for years. How long had this been planned?

"Noxus was built on a foundation of conquest. As a city-state we take pride in our battle strength and unrelenting endurance. But recently, with all the League sanctions tightening, Noxus has had to look elsewhere to uphold its way of life. Sure, there's the siege on the barbarians up north, but anyone with half a brain can tell that the treaty between them and the Avarosan will soon spell an amnesty for them by the Institute of War." Another few daggers thrown and another step back. "But your nation refused it. You refused to be a part of the League; too caught up in your morals and so sure of your isolation – it was too good an opportunity to pass up. But wars take planning and time. It would mean there would be a point of vulnerability. Which is where I come in. To stop you from interfering."

"So it's true. Noxus is trying to concur Ionia," Shen summarized.

"Yep. But don't worry," Katarina teleported to a branch behind the blue ninja. After carefully manoeuvring him around, the Ionian was now much closer to this side of the clearing. Too close to react in time as she sent one final knife hurtling towards his unprotected back. "You won't be around long enough to care anyway."

Inches from the turned ninja's back, the blade was knocked out of the air by a bright, fast-moving object.

Katarina blinked in shock, but before she could react, something crackling with energy hit her with the force an Elmark, launching her from her perch. As she was sent flying, she barely managed to grab another branch, swinging herself up and around to reduce her excess momentum before landing on the ground just outside the clearing.

Looking up to see what hit her, the Noxian felt her eyes widened in shock – and if she was honest, a little fear – at the sight of the yordle poised next to the now turned blue ninja. His eyes were fixed on her, glowing eerily from the excess electricity surging over his form in angry, sizzling waves that were strong enough to short-circuit the hextech barrier keeping their remaining member away.

She watched them warily, even as she raised her hand to touch her now bleeding cheek with a wince. That was going to bruise. Still, in spite of the pain, and in spite of her turned odds, Katarina couldn't help grinning, "I guess the mouse wasn't quite as dead as I was led to believe. That means that this was all a set up. Impressive. It takes a lot to fool me."

Shen ignored the rise in anger his two companions were oozing, as he responded. "We knew you'd only talk if you felt you were guaranteed to win. Hence us running right into your 'trap'. We figured setting it off was the most likely time we would be able to glean the information about the invasion out of you. And with Kennen in reserve, we were never truly in danger."

"Clever, I'll give you that," the assassin rose from her crouch as the trio readied to attack. "But there's just one flaw in your plan. See, I didn't _just_ tell you because I thought I'd win. I also risked telling you because it didn't matter. Do you get it? You're too late. At this very moment the start of the invasion's already underway. I might not have gotten to kill you but I still win. And since there's now no reason to stick around with these odds any longer, I think I'll just take my leave. Thanks for the entertainment but I've gotta run."

The three ninjas lurched into action, but it was too late. With a mock salute and a smug grin, Katarina disappeared in a flash of light just as the electric yordle reached her spot.

Frustrated but unwilling to give up just yet, he turned to take off down the hill. "Come on! If we go now we can still catch her!" the purple ninja called, only to pause at Shen's restraining hand on his shoulder.

The older ninja shook his head, his relaxed posture (more relaxed than it had been in weeks) the only sign that the ever-vigilant man was content with the outcome, but it was enough for his teammate.

"We don't have the time unfortunately. Not if we want to get word to the Ionian Council in time."

Briskly, he and Akali took off back towards the village. Confused but unwilling to be left out, Kennen quickly caught up to them.

"But I thought we were too late. The assassin said the war's already started."

War. The word itself sunk heavily to the bottom of his stomach. Their nation was going to be at war – and with Noxus no less.

"That may be true," it was Akali who answered this time. "However, what she didn't know was that we've already contacted Karma about the invasion."

Continuing on the topic, Shen expanded, "We sent word while you were unconscious. While we could not provide any locations or times we were able to warn them. Which means the province councils would have had some time to prepare. That in itself could turn the tide of the battle. And with this extra information there's a good chance those north of Galrin, Navori and Shon-Xan should be able to put up a solid defence before the Noxian troops reach them."

Kennen pumped his fist, "They won't know what hit them!"

"Only if we can get this information to them in time. It's valuable because it'll provide defence in areas that wouldn't have acted by the time word spread of the invasion. But if we wait too long, it'll become useless."

Akali snorted at that, "Something tells me we won't have much time spare once everyone finds out the Heart of the Tempest isn't dead."

"Hmm," Shen narrowed his eyes. "You're right. However, if you two could handle that there should be enough time for me to send the information."

Kennen grinned, the mischief filled look apparent even under his mask as his eyes sparkled with excitement. "Well we don't have to tell them straight away. Do you know how many awesome pranks I could pull with everyone thinking I'm dead? Ow!"

His mischievous musings came to an abrupt end as Akali's hand came down fast on his head.

"This is not a joking matter!" she reprimanded him.

Behind the two, Shen shook his head before turning his thoughts forward: towards the looming war. It was hard to be impartial on such a topic especially when directed at his own homeland. War was not a flippant subject for any nation. The consequences and destruction of such an action would not only be felt individually on a large scale but could scar the land and the people for generations to come. It was also vastly unideal for their own situation. An Ionia controlled by Noxus could have an irreparable impact on their work. It could not be allowed to happen.

Still, as he thought back on what the assassin had said, he couldn't help feeling she had a point. Perhaps their city-state had become too complacent and too isolated. Change and growth were a part of balance too. But could their home handle such a drastic change? It would be their job to ensure it did. They would need to stay vigilant.

Looking ahead to his two bickering teammates, Shen couldn't help but feel his thoughts lightening. Yes, there would be much work ahead of them. But right now, he was glad to have things back to normal.

* * *

 **And finished! And with this chapter I have officially hit over 100,000 words for this series. Which means this is the biggest story I've ever written. How's that for a milestone!**

 **Also, I know some of you will be upset that I didn't actually continue into the war, but honestly, I didn't want to. Not that I don't have a rough idea of what would have happened, but wars are long and the Kinkou weren't the most significantly involved in it in my cannon anyway. So sorry if you were excited to see some of the other champions. More details on the war are very likely to turn up in future stories but yeah, this is as much as I'm going to write on it here. I still have a fair way to go and another 5 main characters to think about.**

 **And finally, this is the important one but: I'm going to be taking a break between this story and the next one. I don't no how long it'll be, and I'll try to keep it as short as possible (I have absolutely no intentions of stopping this series) but I really need this. This year has been pretty hectic for me, after graduating uni and starting a full time job (not to mention how often I've been sick this year) I've been struggling to keep up with everything. I've basically had to drop all of my hobbies - this is in fact the one I've been most consistent with if you can believe it. So yeah, I want to take a break to get things a little more in order in my life and to hopefully gather a couple of breather chapters up again. That way when I come back I won't be leaving you guys hanging for 7 or so weeks again in the middle of a story. Thanks for understanding. I won't be completely gone (I do have a couple of shorts I'll be posting sometime) but you'll have to wait for the next ToBC story.**

 **Next one will be centred around the fab four in their final year at school. There's going to be a couple of pretty big milestones in the next arc which I'm pretty excited to write. So you hopefully won't have to wait too long. I'll post a notification on this story when the next story is up just as usual.**

 **Cheers, Candlestic**


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